Author: florent

Posted on April 11, 2023

Jeans, the iconic garment of your wardrobe!

A “closet must” - Jeans can be seen on catwalks or worn by just about anyone on the street.

Posted on by florent

It dresses all silhouettes and finds its place in women’s, men’s and kid’s wardrobes. Available in several colours and cuts, jeans remain the best-selling garment, with 73 pairs sold every second in the world.

Jeans became popular in the 1850s, with Levis’ famous 501 model. But the creation of this garment dates back to the 16th century.

Falsely, “jeans” are often referred to as a fashion item. This multipurpose word is used to describe the famous pair of blue pants, but this use really outshines its essential meaning: its fabric. Indeed, what we commonly call “jeans” happens to be a fabric (denim), which differs from the actual jeans “garment”.

 

How to wash your jeans properly:

  • Before washing, look for instructions on your jeans’ textile care label
  • Turn your jeans inside-out before putting them in the washing machine, to avoid white streaks
  • Wash your jeans in almost cold water
  • Do not leave them in the drier for too long (15 minutes maximum)
  • Finish drying your jeans by hanging them on a special trouser hanger

    • To prevent the initial colour of the jeans from bleeding, they must be soaked for one hour before the first wash, in a bath of lukewarm water (2 litres) with a half cup of white vinegar.

     

    For more tips on how to care your jeans, visit our special fabrics section.

Posted on April 11, 2023

How much detergent to use to clean your laundry efficiently?

Throughout the year, clevercare.info suggests good practices to care for your textiles.

Posted on by florent

How we care for our textiles represents 40% of their environmental impact. Laundry plays a great part in the life of a garment, which is why it is worth paying particular attention to this step by changing our habits and adopting new routines. To this end, clevercare.info shares its best practices, throughout the year, to help you preserve and care for your textiles in a more eco-responsible way.

Don't overpour!

Too much detergent causes your washing machine to consume more energy. Too much detergent can even clog your drum and eventually cause your washing machine to overheat.

Using the correct dose is more cost-effective: it helps limit the amount of water, energy, and detergent, while preserving the quality of the fibers that make up your garment.

Refer to the use instructions on the label at the back of your detergent. The label indicates how to obtain the best results while optimizing resources.

How do you know how many washes you can do with your detergent?

The “laundry basket” symbol on your detergent’s packaging indicates the number of washes you can do in all, for a 4.5 kg capacity machine, using moderately hard water and for normally soiled laundry. However, for effective and optimal washing, refer to the instructions on the back of your detergent’s packaging to adjust the dose to your washing machine’s capacity, to the quality of your water and to how dirty your laundry is.

Detergent manufacturers have launched increasingly concentrated products. In two decades, the dose of detergent required for washing has gone from 155 ml to 55 ml! Refer to your detergent’s instructions to use the right dose and make sure you optimize how you care for your clothing.

What are the 3 compartments in the washing machine for?

The Roman numeral “I” indicates prewash. This step helps you deal with persistent stains before washing.

The Roman numeral “II” is for liquid or powder detergent. You may also choose to place a dosing ball or a liquid detergent capsule directly into your washing machine drum.

The clover symbol is for the water softener. You may want to use a standard fabric softener or choose natural fabric softeners like white vinegar.

 

For more tips on the use of detergents, visit this page.

Posted on September 29, 2022

Laundry: how washing machine programs affect your electricity consumption

We all have the power to change our habits. Here’s how to push the right buttons…

Posted on by florent

We all have the power to change our habits.
Here’s how to push the right buttons…

Energy savings have become a priority for most households. In addition to environmental concerns, the current economic climate urges us to curb our energy bills. Most of us are willing to change our household routines, but we also want to make sure our efforts are worthwhile. With regard to laundry, the washing machine is a good place to start.
How should we use it? What temperature and what program should we choose?

To find the right answers actions, GINETEX (the International Textile Care Labelling Association) launched a survey conducted by Testex*, to examine which factors influence our electricity consumption when we turn the wash on.

Choosing the right temperature

Looking at Testex’s figures, the washing temperature impacts electricity consumption the most. Reducing the washing temperature from 40°C to 30°C increases energy savings by 30%, while washing at 60°C uses 50% more electricity than at 30°C. Using the 90°C programs (the highest temperature on washing machines), doubles the energy consumption of washing at 40°C.

The lower the wash temperature, the greater the savings!

The use of washing temperatures higher than 40°C may help to remove difficult stains but leads to significantly higher energy consumption.Heavily soiled items may need a higher temperatre wash setting, (if authorised by the care label), which will mean higher energy consumption. However, this will preserve the durability of your textile!

Manage your spin speed

The same goes for the spin cycle. Higher speed use more electricity but is more effective in eliminating excess water, and the drier your clothes come out of the washing machine, the less time they will spend in the dryer.

In other words, if you’re not using a dryer, reduce the spin speed to save energy. If  you are using a dryer, you may want to increase the spin speed – remember that spin + dry will increase  your total energy bill.

 

Laundry load capacity, don’t do things by half

With the same program, a half-loaded machine will use 50 to 70% more energy per kg of textiles than a full load. Remember:

Use the washing machine less often and only with a full load. It will also preserve your textile quality as mechanical shocks will be avoided.

 

Quick wash programs may save energy consumption

If you’re used to selecting the pre-wash button, bear in mind that it increases energy consumption by 15 to 20% – in addition to using more water! Consider using it only for occasional heavy-duty washes.

Testex also reveals that “quick wash” programs, when used at low temperature (30°C), offer almost 20% energy savings. At high temperatures (90°C) however, the savings are less significant.

If your laundry isn’t too dirty, the recommendation is to do a quick wash at 30°C instead of 40°C.

The occasional hot wash is still acceptable, as it will help keep your machine clean and will extend its lifespan.

Send this to a friend